Mai Khao Beach

Mai Khao Beach is on Phuket Island’s northwest side and is the longest beach in Phuket by far at over 13 kilometers (8 mi.). It stretches from the top of the island down to the Phuket International Airport (HKT). The beach faces west and has some truly awesome sunsets. The alluring thing about Mai Khao Beach is it is so large, and so few people visit, it can feel like you own the beach at times.

Mai Khao Beach is quiet and yet the resorts here are full of families with kids who see it as an ideal place to vacation – away from the craziness of Patong Beach. The water is nice – shallow and calm during high-season.

Mai Khao Beach Beach Clubs

None

Mai Khao Beach Restaurants / Bars

Kindee Beach Restaurant – There are few stand-alone restaurants in Mai Khao, but this one is worth going for dinner – at least once. Past diners gave it fantastic reviews. It is located 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from the beach, going east at this address: 71/6 Mu 5, Mai Khao. Many locals call this the best restaurant on Phuket Island – so, try it out!

There are few restaurants outside the resorts, so your best bet is to dine at one of the resorts below.

Mai Khao Beach Accommodations

JW Marriott – this 5-star hotel has a lot going for it – tasty food, refreshing pools, and great cocktails. They have attractive grounds, pools, and wet bars, and then an amazing six restaurants to choose from and many other amenities you’ll appreciate. Rates starting around 7,000 THB a night.

Sala Phuket Resort & Spa – one and two-bedroom villas with pools in roughly the center (north to south) of Mai Khao Beach. This one is on the beach and has a number of cool features – poolside eatery, rooftop bar and restaurant, a gym, and massage and health (beauty) spa treatments. Nightly rates beginning around 6,000 THB.

Marriott’s Phuket Beach Club – good for kids, free bikes, tennis courts, excellent kids’ club. Gym, spa, free DVD’s. The two-bedroom unit has a kitchenette which will help you save on dining costs. The grounds are spacious, and the beachfront is lovely. Rates for one-bedrooms starting at 11,000 THB per night.

Mai Khao Beach Facts

Location in Phuket: Northwest side of Phuket, just north of the Phuket International Airport (HKT).

GPS Data: 8° 08’ 07” N, 98° 17’ 56” E

Distance to Patong / Phuket Town / Airport in km: 38 / 36 / 9

Taxis available: Yes, near hotels

Surrounding Beaches: Nai Yang Beach in the south and Sai Kaew Beach is north.

Direction Facing: West

Beach Length: 13+ kilometer (8 mi.)

Beach Width: 28 meters (31 yd.)

Estimated Beach Area: 364’000 m2 (435,340 square yd)

Beach Quality: Quite excellent. A wide, very long beach filled with deep sand. There is some random trash. Lots of shade trees between the resort areas and the beach.

Ocean Bottom: Sandy bottom on almost the entire beach. Toward the very northern edge there is some coral under the water.

Restroom / showers facilities? Yes, at all the resorts on the beach.

Beach features: Deep sand, and sandy bottom under the water. Great resorts. Shady trees. Great surfing. Easy bodyboarding during small waves. Usually calm, swimmable water great for kids. Facing west so, a good spot for sunsets.

Lifeguard Available? Yes, near hotels

Sunbeds Available? Yes, at all the resorts on the beach.

Umbrellas? Yes, at all the resorts on the beach.

Public or Private? Entrance fees? Public, no fees.

Water quality: Very Good

Boat anchorage possible? No

Boat dock and marina? N/A

Longtail boat rental possible? No

Speedboat/longtail boat tours possible? No/No

Sea inflow:: Yes

Slope into sea until 1m deep: 3-5m

Convenience shop available? Yes, near the hotels

Attractions: Two main attractions. 1.) Sirinat National Park can be found at the southern-most edge, just past the Phuket International Airport. 2.) Splash Jungle Water park is about 10 minutes away – a huge park with many rides and slides for kids to enjoy all day. Though not so close, Kathu Waterfall is another fun attraction you might visit. It is around 30 minutes by vehicle. There are also some amazing resorts at Mai Khao. Check out some places you might choose to stay in our section at the bottom of this page.

Activities: Beach running; riding a bike on the beach; swimming; paddle-boarding (some resorts have them); and even surfing when the swells start coming between April and October. When the waves are small you can try a longboard, or a bodyboard if you have fins – they help a lot.

FKK possible? Not permitted, but if empty…

Massage available? Yes

Picnic possible? Yes

Surfing? Though there is surf sometimes, most of the time at this beach there is just a weak shore-break that is great for kids playing in the water. When waves do pick up, Mai Khao gets choppy and irregular waves that are not rideable for more than a few seconds. No glassy long rides here! If you’re here and dying for surf, and the rest of the west side is cranking with 2+ meter (6.5 ft.) waves, you can try heading to the Sirinat National Park where this a reef and sandbar that sometimes holds good waves. If you need to rent a board or would like a surfing class, head to Saltwater Dreaming Surf Shop on Cherng Thale Beach.

Smoking? In November Thailand is cracking down on smoking at beaches around the country. In November 2017 in Phuket, Patong Beach is affected. Soon they expect to make it a country-wide smoking ban – so do stay up to date because fines are high and can include prison time.

Warnings: Large waves means strong undertow currents. Be very careful during rough surf.

About Sepp Hatzl

This Phuket Beaches Blog and most of the published articles have been researched, written and compiled by Sepp Hatzl.
Sepp started visiting Phuket in 1975, felt in love with the island, and in 1997 decided to spend most of his time in Nai Thon Beach Phuket.
Sepp is happy to provide you with more specific information about all kind of Phuket topics, just drop him an email (email see in the footer).

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Aims to provide visitors with comprehensive, accurate and the latest information on the island paradise of Phuket, especially about the different kind of beaches around Phuket. The information shall help the readers to virtually explore Phuket beaches.